250 to 250: 17. Fannie Lou Hamer, Narrated by Monica Land

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Fannie Lou Hamer, Narrated by Monica Land

Monica Land is a journalist and niece of civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer. She produced the award-winning film, “Fannie Lou Hamer's America” and now manages the digital educational website, www.fannielouhamersamerica.com. Land remembers the inspiring life of the Mississippi voting rights activist who asked “Is this America?”

Fannie Lou Hamer was born in Mississippi in 1917.

• She worked as a sharecropper on a farm.
• In 1962, she attended a meeting about voting rights.
• The meeting inspired her to register to vote.
• Local officials would not let her register.
• She lost her home because she tried to vote.
• Hamer continued to help African Americans register to vote.
• Many people opposed her work.

In 1963, she was badly beaten and suffered injuries for the rest of her life.

• She became a leader in the civil rights movement.
• In 1964, she gave a powerful speech at the Democratic National Convention.
• In her speech, she asked, “Is this America?”
• Many people across the country heard her message.
• In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
• Fannie Lou Hamer helped expand voting rights for African Americans.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• Have you EVER registered to vote or voted in any Federal, state, or local election in the United States?
• USCIS 100:48. / 128:63. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote.  Describe one of them.
• USCIS 100:84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
• USCIS 128:69. What are two examples of civic participation in the United States?

Family Fun:

• Civil Rights Trail: Fannie Lou Hamer
• Getting to Know ALL About Her: Fannie Lou Hamer lesson plan
• NMAACH: How Fannie Lou Hamer Challenged a Nation
• NPS: When Everyday Folks Become Heroes
• Poets: Teach This Poem: “When Fannie Lou Hamer Said” by Mahogany L. Browne